WYLIE - The bodies of two teens were recovered three hours after witnesses said they saw their row boat overturn in the Trinity River Tuesday.

The search ensued for the two boaters after their flat-bottomed aluminum row boat tipped over while they were fishing along the spillway in the East Fork shortly before 4 p.m.

Witnesses sat helplessly while they watched 19-year-old Justin Wayne Russell, of Wylie, and 19-year-old Brock Alan Banks, of Sachse, fight to stay above water.

"Well, I was a police officer for a lot of years and I've never been in a position where there was nothing you could do," said Bill Lemmon, who watched the fatal accident.

The two teens tried to jump the spillway, but the strong undertow tipped their boat and drug the two teens down into the water.

"One of the teens started screaming at the other one and the boat just went under and smacked the kid in the head," Lemmon said.

Witnesses at the scene tried to throw out rope and some rushed into the water, but the strong waters proved too much.

"We'll have to live with that the rest of our lives," said witness Eric Lemmon. "I just know, I pray that God is with them and I think that was all we could do ... I'll never forget it."

During the search, the dam at Lake Lavon was closed off, which dropped the water level about 8 feet to help searchers. The boat and the two bodies were found around 6:30 p.m.

"No, there is no way," Bill Lemon said. "Once you're caught in that undertow, you're going to get killed. You're dead."

Witnesses said there were life jackets inside the boat but the teens weren't wearing them.

WFAA-TV's Jonathan Betz and WFAA.com's Marjorie Owens contributed to this report